On August 27, in response to a post of mine,  "Jen S" or "Anonymous" or
"jenniferpjj at yahoo.com" wrote:

> More than once you have injected your political views into your postings.
> I take offense to this.

Jen S, you may have intended to send this message just to me privately, but
you posted it in public so I'll respond in public.

If I were posting anything political to Ohio-Birds, I could understand your
point.  We all get bombarded with too much political nonsense all the time
in our daily lives, and we don't need to have politics invade our
recreational birding.  I've been racking my brains to try to remember any
time in the past when I wrote anything political on Ohio-Birds, and I just
can't recall any instance of that, but if I did, I apologize.  (Three days
ago I posted information about Red Knots at Pickerel Creek, but "Red" is
part of their name, and I didn't mean that they were communists!)  But I'm
certainly not going to apologize for this most recent post, and I challenge
you or anyone to show me how there was anything political about what I wrote
on August 26th.  It was an announcement about a conference to promote
birding and promote bird conservation.  How on earth is that political??

You could claim that this got into politics, in a sense, if we had some
political parties that favored fairness and equality and diversity, and
other political parties that were opposed to these things, but I don't think
you'll find any mainstream parties here in the U.S. that would fit into the
latter category.  I mean -- this is the United States of America.  I know
there is still some racism around, but that's not a political stance, just a
matter of ignorance, and it can be cured by simply learning more about real
people and the real world.

I hasten to add, Jen S, that I'm NOT accusing you of being a racist.  But I
still AM totally mystified by your post.  We are trying to promote birding
and to promote healthy diversity.  How is that political?

Best wishes

Kenn Kaufman
Oak Harbor, Ohio

For anyone else who's as mystified as I am, here's the original post.


> Ohio birders -- Are you in favor of diversity?  Here's a chance to show
> your support and learn how to actually do something about it.
>
> If you go to popular birding sites or to gatherings of birders, you'll see
> a lot of friendly faces, but eventually you'll realize that the faces
> you're seeing are almost all white. Likewise, if you spend time in
> national parks, state parks, national wildlife refuges, or other outdoor
> destinations, you won't see many people of color.  This is true all across
> the U.S., just as it is in Ohio.  For some reason, America's minority
> groups are sadly scarce in birding, and in most other areas of nature
> study and outdoor recreation.
>
> Why is this a problem?  Of course, most of us want everyone to have a
> chance to discover the joy of birding!  But in addition to that, we need
> all the help and support we can get for the conservation of birds and
> wildlife and the protection of natural areas.  Demographics in the U.S.
> are shifting. What the Census Bureau calls "Non-Hispanic Whites" already
> make up less than 50 percent of the population in some states. If bird
> watching and nature study continue to be mainly pursuits for whites, we
> can expect to see dwindling support for bird conservation.  For the future
> of our natural resources, open spaces, and wildlife, we need to figure out
> how to share our love of birding and the outdoors with a more diverse
> audience.
>
> It seems to be difficult for most of us even to talk about this issue, let
> alone do something about it. But on September 26, Ohio birders will have
> the opportunity to hear from people who are already doing something, to
> learn from them about how to promote diversity in the outdoors.
>
> Diversity in Outdoor Recreation: The Many Faces of Conservation
> Saturday, September 26, 2009 -- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
> Ward Pavilion, Wildwood Preserve, Toledo Metroparks
>
> This one-day conference will feature a lineup of nationally recognized
> experts.  Biologist, author, and software designer John C. Robinson will
> speak on "Birding for Everyone: Changing the Face of Environmental
> Conservation Through Birding." Professional nature photographer and author
> Dudley Edmondson will speak on "Outdoor Role Models: Black and Brown Faces
> in America's Wild Places."  Tamberly Conway and Maricruz Flores, who work
> with Stephen F. Austin State University and the U.S. Forest Service in
> Texas, will speak on their program "Latino Legacy: Amigos del Bosque,"
> which has been very successful in getting families involved with forest
> areas. Reflecting the importance of the issue, the conference is sponsored
> by a unique partnership of Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Toledo
> Metroparks, and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.
>
> The focus throughout will be on positive, practical approaches that
> already have been proven to make a difference. This is an issue that is
> just now starting to get national attention, and Ohio has a chance to be
> on the leading edge of working for positive change.  For more information
> on the conference, and on how YOU can register, go to:
> http://www.bsbo.org/diversity_conference.htm
>
> If anyone is interested in more background on why I (as a lifelong rabid
> birder) am personally interested in this issue, I put a little discussion
> on http://birdingwithkennandkim.blogspot.com/    in the post for August
> 24th.
>
> Thanks for reading, and I'll hope to see many of you at Wildwood Preserve
> on September 26th.
>
> Kenn Kaufman
> Oak Harbor, Ohio
>
>

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